When I was about ten years old, our family would visit my grandmother's home in Oconee, Illinois. A very large framed family tree chart hanging on the living room wall got my attention. I would study the names, dates, places and small notations around the chart. My father was the only son and when Grandmother passed away, the family tree went to him.

It hung on the wall in his home for several years and again I kept looking at it. I began to wonder if I could find that unnamed Hill at the top. Well, my father made me an offer that was a real challenge. He told me if I traced our Hill ancestors back to our immigrant ancestor, he would pay for mine and my wife's round trip fare to whatever part of Europe that Hill came from to do more research. When my family planned a vacation, we would stop in towns that may have information we were looking for. Needless to say, that was very slow and took a long time.

When the chart was given to me, I had photo copies made to preserve the chart just the way Dr. Matthew had stopped working on it. Dr. Matthew completed his final master chart April 15, 1913. Shortly there after he presented it to my grandfather, Anderson V. Hill.

Letter written by Dr. Matthew Hill to my grandfather (440 KB)*
Click to view letter

*Requires Adobe Acrobat to View 

My grandfather then made a frame with real gold painted hand carved oak leaves on each corner and thin wooden slats for the backing. When I received the framed chart, I carefully removed the backing and much to my surprise, the back side of the chart had another Hill family related to the front side, a list of 15 Hills for which he had made hand written charts. I have been able to locate and get copies of two charts, a third was lost in a house fire March 1951. Twelve more charts are out there somewhere. *There are also some very interesting notations on the back, one of which is:

"To the one who receives this record. Have it framed. It will then last for centuries long after the bones of the youngest one here recorded have crumbled into dust."

---

Front (6.5 meg)*     Back (4 meg)*
or
Front (2.5 meg JPEG)     Back (1 meg JPEG)


*Requires Adobe Acrobat to View 

Note: I have provided the tree in two formats. You will find the Adobe Acrobat format is easier to view. However, the JPEG format will allow you to download and manipulate the tree using a graphics program if you desire.

---

After making the photo copies, I did a major update (1968) to the original filling up most of the remaining space. It hangs on the wall in my home today. A second original was made of the update that has additional material at the top and the bottom providing space for more generations in both directions. Now that I have (with the help of other researchers) my ancestors back to 1650, I can add them along with many other families to the new chart.

If anyone knows the location of Dr. Matthew Hill charts, please contact Andy Hill.